Here is an outstanding 25 year old newspaper article from the Orlando Sentinel about "Terrible Tommy" Ellis, currently serving a prison sentence for tax evasion. The article goes back to Tommy's roots in 1970, chronicling several episodes of misbehavior. I will say something nice about Tommy - in the late 80s I was in the lounge of the Holiday Inn in Dover, Delaware, having consumed numerous beverages. I leaned back in my chair and it went out from under me. Tommy Ellis, seated beside me with his wife, caught me before my head hit the concrete floor and cracked open. For that I have always been grateful.
Terrible Tommy Hopes To Change Bad Image
February 13, 1986
By Tim Povtak of The Sentinel Staff
Cocky Tommy Ellis, just a kid with a boulder on his shoulder, was leaning on the fender of his Chevy Nova at South Boston (Va.) Speedway 15 years ago (1971) when a track official came walking past. ''Hey,'' Ellis hollered, not even knowing his name, ''you tell them upstairs to get on the microphone and tell the fans here that I'm Tommy Ellis. And I'm going to win the race tonight. I'm going to smoke 'em.'' The P.A. announcer, always looking to stir up some excitement, made the annoucement. The usual track favorites turned around and scowled at the brash newcomer. The grandstands stirred. The kid puffed his chest. Ellis smoked 'em that night. No brag, just fact. ''Terrible Tommy'' was born. Ellis will start only his second125-mile Twin Qualifier today, then make his Daytona 500 debut Sunday, ending an incredibly long journey to reach the stock-car Super Bowl. ''There was a time in my life when I thought I'd never make it,'' Ellis, 38, said during a break in practice. ''But not because I wasn't talented enough. I've never doubted my talent. I just didn't think I'd ever get the break I needed.'' Everyone always knew he was a top driver, but sponsors and car owners shied away from the ''Terrible Tommy'' reputation. Although the nickname offends him now, through the '70s he almost reveled in it, adding chapters at short tracks across his home state of Virginia. He is short and stocky, but he always raced big, outwardly challenging the resident champion at every track. No one intimidated Ellis, but often they tried. Incumbent champions who raced dirty against him on the track had to answer him afterward in the pits. His hometown Richmond, Va., newspapers often carried pictures of other Sportsman cars crashing with Ellis, then fighting him later in the pits. He became a hero to the little guys, but a hated rival of the established, big- money teams. He was home-grown and his operation virtually homemade. His biggest rivalry was with Sonny Hutchins and Ray Hendrick, two older, established drivers who used to rule the short tracks near Virginia. They were riled by his flare. Fans often came just to see Ellis and Hutchins battle, often smashing each other out of the race. Short-track promoters loved him. ''I never wanted to hold a race without him,'' said Bill Dyer, South Boston Speedway promoter. ''Fans either loved him or hated him. It's great to see him finally get a good chance at the big time, but I hate to lose him. If people who watch racing in Daytona think Dale Earnhardt is aggressive, wait until they see Tommy Ellis.'' At Lonesome Pine Speedway in Coeburn, Va., a fight that started on the track and spilled into the pits got so bad that the police had to turn out the lights at the track so they could escort Ellis out in the dark without restarting the riot. After one battle with Hutchins on the track, an argument in the pits grew so heated that Ellis punched Hutchins' car owner,Emanuel Zervakis,breaking his nose. At a Sportsman race in Oxford, Maine, one year, Ellis and Geoff Bodine were using adjoining pits, and both had top cars. An argument started between the teams and ended with both sides throwing lug nuts at the other. The rivalry grew so intense with Hutchins that trouble often was expected. Someone once came into the restaurant Hutchins owned in Richmond and threw battery acid over everything, including Sonny's face. He always wore a beard after that. Ellis, people thought, was somehow responsible. In actuality, neither he nor his crew had anything to do with it. His driving style was ultra-aggressive. At one time, he wore gaudy, black patent leather driving shoes with a stripe down the middle, just to let people know who he was. In one Richmond newspaper picture, there was a pile of bodies grappling on the ground after a race. The only recognizable item was his black patent leather shoe with a stripe. Ellis was in there somewhere. He didn't often start the fights, but he never backed down from one either. He also believed in paybacks. In another Sportsman race in Indianapolis, rival Tommy Houston was trailing Ellis and fouled him with a dirty move. Houston went on to win. Ellis, though, was the first to Houston's defense when NASCAR wanted to fine him. He'd repay him in his own way. ''He was just racing hard,'' Ellis told officials. Ellis has been fined by NASCAR and warned numerous times for his short- track run-ins. But through it all, Ellis kept plugging. He built his own car, he ran the pit crew, he set up the chassis. He worked tirelessly, just like he drives. He has been racing for a living since 1970 and won the Late Model Sportsman championship in 1981. From 1976 to 1980, he won at least 20 races each year. The last two years he drove part-time on the Winston Cup circuit, but not until this season did he have much chance to win races. He finally found a big-money team (Eric Freedlander Racing) and a top-flight crew chief (Buddy Parrot). He has reached his promised land. ''If it wasn't for the reputation, I probably would have been here five years ago,'' Ellis said. ''I was always so hard-headed before. I wouldn't compromise. I've just now matured. Only thing, it took me longer than most folks.'' With his new team, Ellis suddenly finds himself with the stars. He qualified at 202.493 mph, 12th-best for the race, and is capable of staying with the leaders.
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
